Spaghetti Sauce - Batch #1

Another first!

My first batch of homemade spaghetti sauce! I ended up with 3 pints to put away for another day. I merged a couple of online recipes and came up with the following. This is only batch #1 so it may evolve.

Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

• 40 - 50 tomatoes - mostly Romas from the backyard
  
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped (probably more next time)
  
• 1/2 red bell pepper, finely diced
  
• 2 - 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small can of tomato paste
  
• 10 - 12 basil leaves, finely chopped (also from the backyard)
  
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian herb mix
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  
• 1 teaspoon parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• pinch of sugar
• 1/4 cup red wine (a 2007 Christopher Creek Cab from the cellar)
  

I washed and dried the tomatoes and then put them through the food mill. I got the sauce boiling so that it began to cook down and added the bay leaves, salt, and sugar. Meanwhile, I chopped up all the other ingredients. In a 12" skillet, I sauteed the onions for a few minutes, added the garlic, and then the bell pepper. Added in the herbs and seasonings. I waited until the sauce was about an hour or two away from being done and then added the onion/pepper mixture from the skillet. Add the tomato paste and let it cook down until desired consistency. Discard bay leaves. Add sauce to sterilized jars.

Inspiration:
http://www.pickyourown.org/spaghettisauce.htm

http://www.suite101.com/content/homemade-spaghetti-sauce-a61353